Captain and a Corset (28 page)

“Ready to make sail, Captain!”

“Ten knots, Mr. Tailsman,” the captain ordered in a smooth voice.

“Aye, Captain.”

The engines hissed as steam billowed out of the twin smokestacks at the rear of the vessel, after they turned the turbines inside the engines. The airship accelerated smoothly, gaining altitude as the sun set. As much as Bion wanted to delay their departure, he couldn’t ignore how delighted he was to feel the movement of the ship beneath his feet. It was like being home.

“I am sure the doctor has your companion patched up.”

Bion bristled at the captain’s words but had to concede defeat as far as Lykos and Decima were concerned. He didn’t like leaving them behind, but the knowledge that Sophia was secure eased his mind. No man had it all, but at the moment, he felt richer than a king. He wove through the passageways, descending three flights of stairs until he found the medical facility.

It was a small cabin, like all those aboard the vessel. The Scarlet Dawn wasn’t a passenger liner. She was built for cargo, precious cargo such as Deep Earth Crystals, and was constructed for maximum speed.

The doctor looked up as Bion entered and pointed to the narrow bunk Sophia lay on. Her eyes were closed, dark rings beneath them. But her chest rose and fell in a steady motion, and after a moment of assuring himself that she was finally safe, he felt fatigue ripping into him. He took off his protective glasses and rubbed his eyes, trying to remove the sting, but it only increased.

“You should join her,” the doctor suggested as he handed Bion a clean compress. “Your eyes are in a delicate state.”

Normally, he would have argued with anyone using the word “delicate” to describe him, but he simply didn’t have the strength. For once, it didn’t matter. Sophia was secure. That was all that mattered.

***

“That one is going to die.” The Russian doctor pointed an elderly woman toward a cot near the door of his clinic. The man’s blond hair was stained with blood and his face was very pale. She motioned her companions forward, and they soon had him on the stretcher they had brought with them. They took him to a wagon and then on to the church at the end of town.

The woman sat down next to the bed they placed him in to wait for his death. It was a shame; he was a young, handsome man. It was her duty to pray for his soul, but she rose and brought back a basin of water. She wrung out a cloth and used it to clean the blood from the gash in his scalp.

“Why are you stitching him? The doctor said he would die,” a younger woman said from her position next to an old woman who was drawing rattling breaths.

“It is good to practice and better to do so on those that will not live.”

When she was finished, she stuck her needle back into the little book hanging from her belt. It was lined with a piece of felt wool to keep her needles from rusting. As the night hours passed, the man grew restless. She was tempted to use some of their painkillers to ease his thrashing, but it would have been a waste of resources. Her duty was to pray for him and tell the brothers of the religious order when he was ready to be buried. The prince provided a meager allotment to their order for their service to the dying who had no families to see to them. The doctor had more important things to do than care for those who were already lost.

So she gave him water, hoping it might ease his way into the next life. But when he was still drawing breath at sunrise, she gave him some of the weak broth the kitchen kept on hand for those in the next building who were expected to live. It had been a long time since one of her charges survived. If anyone might, it would be this man. There was something about him, something she sensed.

But the odds were not in his favor.

***

London.

“You’re enjoying this too much.”

Bion raised an eyebrow innocently. Sophia glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He laughed at her, then adjusted the pillow beneath her leg. The bullet had hit the bone this time, leaving her with a lengthy recovery time.

“And you are not enjoying it enough, dear Miss Stevenson.” He pressed a hand to the center of his chest. “My confidence in my nursing abilities is being cut to ribbons by your disgruntled looks.”

“I doubt it.”

He abandoned his innocent look and smiled at her, a slow twisting of his lips that betrayed just how much he was enjoying himself.

“Don’t doubt it.” He flattened his hands on either side of her. “I take a great deal of satisfaction in knowing exactly where you are and that you are in my bed.”

She poked him in the middle of his chest. “You shouldn’t talk like that. It’s indecent.”

And
you
like
it
a
lot, missy
.

But she really couldn’t afford to. Her heart was already aching. She looked away because his gaze was just as keen as ever. It would be very un-Illuminist of her to inflict her emotions on him.

“It’s honesty—a trait you’ll just have to grow accustomed to.” He cupped her chin and brought her attention back to his face. “Because I promise you, Sophia, I consider you my prize and like any self-respecting pirate, I intend to keep you secure.”

“But—”

He sealed her protest with a kiss. It was hard and insistent, stirring her passion, but she winced when she moved her leg out of instinct.

Bion grumbled as he straightened up. “I suppose I will have to curtail my roguish ways until you heal.”

“You know, I labeled you a pirate as an insult.”

He laid his arm across his middle and bowed formally. “Yet a man of action makes the most of every situation.”

She laughed, unable to resist his charm.

“Now I am wounded,” he announced.

“Why?”

“Because you look surprised to hear me teasing you.” His mocking attitude changed instantly. For a long moment, he watched her through the lenses of his glasses. But he turned back to the dressing mirror and finished buttoning his uniform coat. Every button gleamed from polishing, just like his boots and badge. He was every bit the captain, confirming their return to reality. She felt the tension in the room increasing until she found herself bracing for the moment it snapped.

She didn’t have to wait long.

Bion returned to her bedside, taking a moment to stroke her cheeks. “Thank you for making sure I got the use of that Root Ball.” The words sounded as if they were torn from his soul, but he didn’t appear miserable. “That concludes our unfinished business.”

“Does it?” she inquired sweetly.

“Yes, Miss Stevenson, it does. Which leaves us the opportunity to move on to new business.” He reached into the front pocket of his uniform jacket and pulled something out. She didn’t get a good look at it because he moved, shifting until he was poised on one knee next to the bed. Clasped tightly between his index finger and thumb was a gold band with a ruby set into it.

“Will you do me the extreme honor of becoming my wife?”

Once again, he flattened a hand over his heart, looking for all the world like a devoted suitor. But it was the torment in his eyes that drew her attention. There was a need there that mirrored her own and she blinked several times before daring to believe that it was real.

“But… well… I mean… why?”

His eyes narrowed. “Because I love you, Sophia Stevenson, and I think you love me, in spite of your efforts to conceal it.”

“Well, you needn’t act as if that’s wrong of me,” she sputtered.

One of his dark eyebrows rose. “At this moment, I consider it a travesty that you are not taking notice of just how gallant I am, sweetheart.”

Her cheeks heated, and he gently wiggled the ring so that the light flashed on the facets of the stone.

“There is no one I’ve ever allowed to rescue me or anyone I’ve ever wanted to chain to my bed, and I promise you, Sophia Grace O’Malley, you are the only woman I have ever respected enough to call my counterpart. You are going to be my wife.”

“Am I now?”

He nodded, challenge flickering in his eyes. She laughed, unable to resist being amused by his arrogance while he was poised on his knee.

She nodded, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. Bion blew out a long sigh and smiled as he pushed the ring onto her finger.

“I cannot believe you are on your knee,” she confessed.

“Am I not gallant enough to shame even the aforementioned Jonathon Saddler?”

She laughed. “You are nothing like Jonathon Saddler, thank goodness. He bored me to tears and that’s the honest truth.” She sat up, reaching for him. “Yes, I do love you, Bion Donkova.”

His face lit, joy mixing with the amber streaks in his eyes. He rose from his knee and flopped onto the foot of her bed, looking as if he’d just fought the fight of his life. Relief appeared on his face next, vexing her with just how tormented the man really was about making the proposal.

Honestly, she doubted she’d ever understand him. But that wouldn’t stop her from doing her best to keep him guessing.

“Now you must go and ask my father for his blessing.”

Bion raised his head, his forehead furrowed. Sophia crossed her arms over her chest.

“And don’t think I will listen to a single word of argument, you rogue. Why, it’s shameful, really, this rule that has prevented me from walking across the street to let my father know I am alive. He’s suffered seven months of not knowing what’s become of me. Well, since he is going to be your father-in-law, you can go and tell him what I cannot until I take my Oath of Allegiance.”

“An excellent idea.” Janette Lawley spoke from the doorway. Her husband was behind her and Bion groaned.

“You would pick now to visit.”

Darius pushed the door wide for his wife and inclined his head toward Bion. “Of course, it took precise planning.”

Janette sat on the side of Sophia’s bed, peering at her new ring. Bion rolled over and onto his feet. He offered them a half bow before he retrieved his hat from the hat stand in the corner of the room.

“I can deny you nothing,” he groused.

“A difficulty I know all too well,” Darius commiserated.

Janette looked up, fixing her husband with a hard look. He laughed on his way out the door. Sophia listened to their footfalls in the outer room and simply couldn’t keep from smiling. Everything was suddenly far better than perfect. Bion Donkova loved her and she intended to enjoy every second of their future together.

Read on for an excerpt from

A Lady Can Never Be Too Curious

Mary Wine

Within moments, Janette stood on the opposite side of the street. The columns looked taller now. She climbed the steps, tipping her head back to investigate the construction of the roof. The portico was covered in brilliant paintings—perfect images of the solar system and other things she’d never seen before. But were the paintings of fact or fiction? Fact. She knew she was in the place of facts. Satisfaction filled her and left goose bumps along her arms because it was so intense.

Someone cleared his throat.

Janette jerked her attention down to discover a doorman standing inside the building with the door open for her.

“Good afternoon.”

The doorman didn’t even blink but remained at his post. He looked straight ahead, never focusing on her. Excitement renewed its grip on her. Janette wasn’t sure if she forgot to draw breath or not, but she walked through the forbidden doorway.

The doorman shut the door behind her and walked to a small booth. He stood there, facing the wall, but when she peered closer, she could see he was watching through some sort of window. It wasn’t transparent, but she could clearly see outside.

Fascinating…

“The experiments have already begun.”

She straightened abruptly as he spoke without looking at her.

“Yes, thank you.”

It was difficult to turn her back on the window set into solid stone. She wanted to look through it and discover its secrets, but the doorman’s words tempted her to see how much further she might go.

The hallway was lit, but instead of the green glow of gaslights, a muted white light glowed from behind frosted panes of glass. She reached out and touched one gently and found it cool. There was no smoke or soot either.

Astounding.

Voices drifted into the hallway from a large archway ahead. A few more steps and she could make sense of the conversation.

“So we know the conductive capabilities of Deep Earth Crystals…”

Janette entered under the arch and froze.

“We also know that Deep Earth Crystals respond to one another…It is this reaction that allows us to harness their energy…and produce steam for power…”

The lecturer was in the center of the room. A table stood behind him lit by huge panes of frosted glass that glowed brighter than a full moon. Each was held by a large copper stand with gears built into them so the light could be aimed in different directions. Like a lamp that might be moved to aim light in any direction.

But what was a Deep Earth Crystal? And how could it respond?

She took a step sideways into one of the rows of seats ringing the stage the lecturer stood on and sat down. Excitement gripped her as she leaned forward to hear the rest of the lecture. A sound rose from those watching as the man pulled a large crystal from a case.

“Impressive…yes…but remember…size does not dictate the potency of the conductive properties.”

He set the crystal down and plucked what looked like a folded leather apron off the table. Once he flipped it open and pushed his hand into it, it was clear it was a glove, made of leather reinforced with sturdy canvas. Janette leaned forward, eager to see why he needed such protection from rocks. He lifted a dome such as she might expect to see on a breakfast service tray, and beneath it lay a small crystal.

It was no thicker than a broom handle and only about six inches long, but he handled it with great care, reaching out his gloved hand to pick it up while holding his head back, as though the crystal were molten metal.

“Here we have an excellent example of the true power of—”

The moment the smaller crystal came closer to the large one, the room filled with a sharp whine. The lecturer stiffened, fighting to maintain his grip on the smaller crystal. His assistants lunged forward to help him, but the smaller crystal broke his grip and went sailing up into the seats.

The whine decreased as it arced through the air and left the other crystal behind. The Illuminists watching in front of her ducked, and the crystal landed neatly in her lap.

Janette picked it up before thinking, and the pulse of electricity began shooting through her body. It was deeper, almost harmonic. She swore she could hear the delicate sounds of music, and the crystal itself felt warm against her palm. It felt completely correct to hold it, and satisfying in an unexpected way, as though she’d never truly been complete until this moment.

“Madam…
madam!
”

Janette was startled out of the strange euphoria by the lecturer’s frantic voice. He’d rushed up the aisle but stood staring at her.

He suddenly smiled, and crinkles appeared near his eyes. “I wasn’t informed we had a new handler in our midst. When did you arrive?”

The rest of the audience all stared at her.

“Well…just now.” She stood, and those closest to her shifted back, their attention on the crystal she held. “Would you like me to place this somewhere for you?”

Four assistants were clustered around the lecturer. They wore leather overcoats and had leather hoods on their heads with a pair of goggles pushed up above their eyes. One of them leaned in and whispered in the lecturer’s ear, pointing at Janette. The lecturer’s eyebrows rose.

“You will need to come with me.” A deep voice issued the command from behind her.

Janette felt a tingle race down her spine. The newcomer had a voice edged with steel, the solid sort of authority that announced a man who was accustomed to being obeyed. She turned to discover the owner of the voice standing only a single pace from her. She had to look up because he was tall with broad shoulders.

He was attired in a double-breasted vest and overcoat—just as proper as any gentleman—but there was something in his dark eyes that was very uncivilized. For all that they were surrounded by others, she felt like she was alone with him.

And that knowledge excited her.

Definitely
wicked…

The sensation was unsettling, and for some odd reason, she sensed that he knew exactly how he affected her. It was in the narrowing of his eyes and the thinning of his lips—tiny little details she shouldn’t have noticed but did.

“My apologies, Professor, for having your lecture interrupted by a trespasser,” the newcomer said. “I will remove her.”

“Mr. Lawley, she is still holding the crystal…If you touch her…the current…ah…” The lecturer’s warning came too late. Janette barely felt the man close his grip around her upper arm when he growled and released her.

“I did warn you, Darius. That’s a level-four sample she’s holding. Because she’s a Pure Spirit, the current is going straight—”

“Enough. She’s heard too much already. She is not an Illuminist.”

Darius Lawley offered the professor a frown. When he turned his head, Janette was treated to the view of some sort of device covering his ear. Several copper and silver gears were visible, and the men behind him wore similar devices. These men didn’t look like the other Illuminists attending the lecture. They were burly, and their expressions, hard.

Like constables.

Darius jerked his head back toward her the moment she moved. There was sharpness in his eyes, but what she sensed most about him was the fact that he was dangerous. He was unlike any man she’d met. Her world had always been full of gentlemen whom she trusted to remain at a polite distance.

This man was nothing like that. He’d boldly touched her, and that brief connection felt somehow…intimate. Yet she wasn’t offended. The surge of excitement was only growing stronger as she contemplated leaving with him.

“If you please, miss, give the crystal to Professor Yulric.” His voice was deep and raspy, setting off a ripple of awareness that traveled down her length in spite of how perfectly polite his words were.

“Yes, quite right. Hand it here. It’s quite volatile, you understand.” The professor shuddered. He extended his hand with the protective glove still in place.

“I find the lecture quite amazing. I’d like to remain to learn more about the crystal.”

“Illuminists only,” Darius informed her. His expression tightened, his lips sealing into a hard line.

She sighed before turning her hand over so the crystal dropped into the professor’s waiting palm.

“Clear a path…Clear the way…” Professor Yulric hurried down the aisle, and the crystal began to whine as he neared the other one. “Remove the male, for heaven’s sake, or we’ll have another uncontrollable reaction.”

“The what? Did you say male? As in gender?” Janette asked, too curious to contain her question.

“Nothing,” Darius informed her quietly. “You do not belong here.”

He reached past her and grasped one of her shoulders and neatly turned her around so the sight of Professor Yulric was lost. It was done with such a light touch she stood slightly shocked.

“But I want to see—”

“I’ve no doubt you do, but you have snuck inside our chambers, which I cannot allow. Please come with me.”

She really couldn’t refuse; after all, he was correct. She followed him, and his men fell into step behind them.

Confusion needled her as they went right past the doorman. Her expectation that she would be tossed unceremoniously out onto the front steps vanished as Darius continued on, granting her the opportunity to see more of the forbidden building.

It should have alarmed her; instead, she felt another jolt of heat stab into her. She didn’t care at all if the situation was proper, it was exciting.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To my office.”

He lifted his hand to touch the device in his ear. Almost in the same instant there was a groan as a door ahead of them opened. Darius led her through it, and the door closed behind them with a solid sound.